Clos des Papes, Chateauneuf-du-Pape, 2006

One of Chateauneuf-du-Pape's most legendary estates, in a strong vintage at full maturity. Clos des Papes has been owned by the Avril family for centuries — Paul-Vincent Avril runs the cellar today — and stands almost alone among top CdP estates in producing only one red wine: no special cuvees, no parcel selections, no luxury bottlings, just the singular expression of the full domaine. The wine famously blends Grenache, Mourvèdre and Syrah with small portions of other permitted Châteauneuf varieties, fermented after 100% destemming in concrete and aged in old wood (large foudres). 2006 was a strong CdP vintage — perhaps overshadowed at release by the much-hyped 2005 and 2007 bookends, but a fundamentally well-built year that has aged on its own steady timeline. Nineteen years on, the wine is fully mature: dried black cherry, fig, garrigue, dried lavender, leather, sweet tobacco, warm Provencal earth. Resolved, complete, drinking at peak.